Welcome to the oddest day in college football. Selection Sunday, where 70 teams are placed in 35 bowls, but all everyone cares about is one ultimate matchup, the BCS National Championship Game.

A season of debate and consternation has led us here, to a final day racked with tension as we await the release of the BCS standings and ponder one question: Who will be No. 2?

With Sagarin’s ratings released and the Coaches’ Poll available, we can start to work some real numbers into the equation. Let’s start by laying it all on the line.

Last weekend, Alabama and Oklahoma State were No. 2 and No. 3 in the BCS, receiving the following scores from the BCS components:

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Oklahoma State was well behind Alabama in every category, including the elusive computer ranking systems.

Now, a victory over Oklahoma was worth quite a bit to Oklahoma State, and will allow the Cowboys to claim the lead in that component come tonight. But how big will their lead be? The two scenarios play out as such:

I. Oklahoma State could receive a .950 score from the computers if they receive two No. 3 votes from the computers. Alabama would then likely receive a .930. Using the released Coaches’ Poll statistics, the breakdown would be as such:

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For Oklahoma State to be No. 2, the following would need to occur:

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The equivalent of five votes — a total vote share of .0015 — would need to separate Oklahoma State from Alabama in the Harris Poll to give Oklahoma State to No. 2 spot. Anything less and Alabama is on its way to the title lgame.

II. Oklahoma State could receive a .960 score from the computers if they receive just one No. 3 vote from the computers. Alabama would then likely receive a .920. Using the released Coaches’ Poll statistics, the breakdown would be as such:

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For Oklahoma State to be No. 2, the following would need to occur:

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The equivalent of 53 points — a total vote share of .0183 — could still be between Alabama and Oklahoma State, and the Cowboys could be No. 2. Anything more and Alabama is on its way to the title game.

College football’s regular season is, amazingly, complete for 2011. But now comes the fun part. Today marks “Selection Sunday” the day when we find out just where 70 teams will land in the 35 bowls that will span more than three weeks over December and January.

Some slots are already assured, but others are still to be determined.

We’ll be here all day to answer any questions and will provide updates throughout the day here and at @BCSKnowHow. Chat live with us, answer some general questions about the BCS bowl system, the BCS formula and other important information to get you through the day:

Chat live with us starting at noon eastern HERE:

Fourteen weeks, and there seems no quelling of the debate and uproar about who deserves what in the college football landscape. That being said, however, the 2011 regular season is complete, and now our attention must turn to the BCS standings and bowls to be announced tomorrow.

The thing that is causing the most debate, of course, is the possible rematch awaiting the country in the BCS title game. And for those who are against it, do be prepared to weather the storm of the rematch, but a swaying of opinion has occurred, and for what it’s worth, Oklahoma State should be on its way to the BCS title game.

Alabama will just miss out on its chance at a rematch, finishing at No. 3, with Stanford just behind the Cowboys at No. 4.

So. Why? It comes down to persuasion. Virginia Tech needs to be replaced on ballots. Oklahoma State whipped Oklahoma up and down the field. Houston is no longer a factor. Boise State can be forgotten. Oklahoma State stands as the team most of the country (save the Alabama faithful) wants to see get a chance.

The pollsters can make up the difference. And I believe they will. There’s no need for Oklahoma State to leap Alabama. They just need to be very close. And they will be. Oklahoma State can make up some distance in the computers.

Of course, this is a simple projection, and nothing about it is absolute. There are, however, other components which are more absolute when the BCS pairings are announced tomorrow.

• Oregon, as champion of the Pac-12, is headed to the Rose Bowl to face Wisconsin, the Big Ten’s conference champion.
• Clemson is on its way to the Orange Bowl as the ACC champion, as the ACC is bound to the bowl unless the ACC champ is playing in the national title game.
• West Virginia will likely be the recipient of the Big East’s BCS bowl bid. After sharing the regular season crown in the conference with Cincinnati and Louisville, the Mountaineers will assuredly win the tiebreaker for the conference’s bid by finishing highest among the three teams in the final BCS rankings.
• TCU, if it can finish ahead of the highest ranking Big East team and ahead of Southern Miss, which is likely, and vault into the top 16 will receive a BCS bowl bid as the highest-ranking non-AQ conference champion that ranks ahead of a AQ conference champion in the top 16.

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Oklahoma State will be assured of a BCS bid. But will it be in the title game? If these projections hold up, it will be. Stanford at No. 4, will not be afforded an automatic bid to the BCS as it was last season at No. 4, but will likely be a very eligible team for any BCS bowl to select.

Boise State, Kansas State, Michigan, Houston and Oklahoma will all also likely be eligible come tomorrow. Who will take those remaining slots? Michigan is likely to cross the top 14 threshold to get into the BCS, but TCU is likely to miss out. Check out our BCS Bowl projections here.

That’s the bowl picture — it’s messy at best — but the BCS standings shouldn’t be so difficult to digest when they’re released tomorrow.

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Remember, we’ll be here to take you through all of it, starting with tomorrow’s releases of the human polls, computer rankings and BCS. Follow along all day tomorrow @BCSKnowHow and right here to stay up to the second with projections, mathematical breakdowns of all of the computers, human polls and everything in between. Then follow along this week as we break down scenarios and implications.

Got all that? Hope so.

Here’s what the BCS standing will likely look like when they are released tomorrow at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN:

Projected BCS Standings – BCS Week Eight (December 4th)

After last week, it felt like it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see every favorite in the nation get upset and throw the BCS into chaos once again.

It wasn’t to be, however, as favorites around the country prevailed throughout the extended Thanksgiving weekend, although some did have some trouble in the early goings and set up a drama-filled final weekend.

Even LSU had relatively little trouble with last week’s BCS No. 3 Arkansas. So the BCS standings aren’t going to be very shaken up come Sunday night, but the implications haven’t been bigger this season.

Not surprisingly, LSU and Alabama will be set to stay atop the rankings. Alabama, despite missing the chance to play in the SEC title game, is likely secure in its positioning to make it to the BCS title game. Of the five teams to finish in the top two in the seventh BCS standings who didn’t play in the season’s final week in the BCS era, all have made the title game.

LSU will still have to beat Georgia to absolutely secure its spot in the title game, but of course, there are scenarios where a loss would still give the Tigers a chance at the BCS national title. Who would take LSU’s place if they were to fall out of the picture? Well, it wont be Arkansas, which will take a fall after its loss to LSU, but it shouldn’t be too harsh. Arkansas’s computer support should remain strong, and a loss to LSU in Baton Rouge shouldn’t sway voters away from the Razorbacks too much.

It could be new No. 3 Oklahoma State, who will be the main benefactor from Arkansas’s drop. With strong computers support and likely resurgent human poll support, the Cowboys might recover nicely from their loss to Iowa State last weekend. And with a strong victory over Oklahoma next weekend, the Cowboys will have a compelling case for a shot at the BCS title. But a compelling case might not be enough  to overcome behemoths Alabama and LSU this season.

Virginia Tech, Stanford and Arkansas should fill in spots four through six, followed by Boise State and Houston, with little differential changes from last weekend, the only difference being Arkansas’ small drop. Many will be looking for BCS bids next weekend, both at-large and automatic, including Virginia Tech’s attempt at another ACC champion; Stanford and Boise State’s quests for at-large bids, and Houston’s hopes for the automatic bid given to the highest-ranking non-AQ conference champion.

Oklahoma and Oregon should come in at Nos. 9 and 10, although either could finish ahead of the other depending on human poll support tomorrow as the distance between the Ducks and Sooners was quite small last weekend.

Next weekend will be full of important championship games and BCS positioning battles. Some of the highlights and their implications:

• SEC Championship Game: LSU vs. Georgia (LSU victory gives Tigers BCS title game bid. A Georgia victory? Chaos.)
• ACC Championship Game: Virginia Tech vs. Clemson (Orange Bowl bid on the line)
• Big Ten Championship Game: Michigan State vs. Wisconsin (Rose Bowl bid on the line)
• Pac-12 Championship Game: UCLA vs. Oregon (Rose Bowl bid on the line)
• C-USA Championship Game: Southern Miss vs. Houston (Houston victory gives Cougars the automatic BCS bid)
• Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State (Fiesta Bowl bid on the line, and possible title game bid for Oklahoma State)
• West Virginia vs. South Florida and Cincinnati vs. UConn (Victories by WVU and Cincinnati make the BCS the tiebreaker for the Big East’s automatic BCS bowl bid)

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Remember, we’ll be here to take you through all of it, starting with tomorrow’s releases of the human polls, computer rankings and BCS. Follow along all day tomorrow @BCSKnowHow and right here to stay up to the second with projections, mathematical breakdowns of all of the computers, human polls and everything in between. Then follow along this week as we break down scenarios and implications.

Got all that? Hope so.

Here’s what the BCS standing will likely look like when they are released tomorrow at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN:

Projected BCS Standings – BCS Week Seven (November 27th)

Editor’s Note: These projections are for the November 20th, BCS week six standings, to see the November 27th, week seven projections, CLICK HERE.

There are college football weekends. And then there are the college football weekends we’ll remember as season-defining.

This was one of them. Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oklahoma and Clemson were all victims of upsets in one of the most incredible, unpredictable and awe-inspiring weekends in recently college football history.

When it was all over, however, the talk turned immediately to the BCS. What more can be said about the chaos we’re about to encounter? A whole lot.

More than obviously, LSU will be on top once again. The Tigers are aiming to go wire-to-wire with this thing. Next, and not surprisingly, you’ll find Alabama, the beneficiaries of teams falling all around them, while the Tide were barely punished after their one loss of the season — to LSU.

Third you ask? Well, how about another SEC West team, Arkansas. All but forgotten in the commotion over ‘Bama and LSU, the Razorbacks just keep climbing and will be right in the middle of the conversation come tomorrow. And with a game against LSU looming Thanksgiving weekend, we’re not out of the woods in terms of controversy and chaos quite yet with the Razorbacks.

The teams that took that big fall this weekend will start filling in spots after that. Oklahoma State, Oregon and Oklahoma will be a part the next sector of teams, all with lots of work to be done if they want to even think about the title game. Oklahoma State does have the computer support to maintain overall BCS support, and will likely just fall just two spots to No. 4.

Virginia Tech and Stanford, forgotten in all of the mess of the BCS this season, will both be suddenly thrust back into the conversation, although on the outside looking in in terms of a birth into the national title game.

The non-AQ darlings, Boise State and Houston round out the top 10, although it is the Cougars, and not the Broncos, in the driver’s seat for the automatic bid afforded to the top ranking conference champion of a non-AQ conference. Neither has the computer support to break into the title picture anymore.

It’s gotten as crazy as it has ever been this late in the season. Could we actually have a rematch in the BCS title game? We’ll just have to watch these last two weekends of college football with bated breath.

Remember, we’ll be here to take you through all of it, starting with tomorrow’s releases of the human polls, computer rankings and BCS. Follow along all day tomorrow @BCSKnowHow and right here to stay up to the second with projections, mathematical breakdowns of all of the computers, human polls and everything in between. Then follow along this week as we break down scenarios and implications.

Got all that? Hope so.

Here’s what the BCS standing will likely look like when they are released tomorrow at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN:

Projected BCS Standings – BCS Week Six (November 20th)

Computers, voters and prognosticators are nice, but we never really see the truth until the games are played on the field.

That was proven once again this weekend as the seemingly infallible Boise State was defeated and Stanford fell hard at home to Oregon.

Two more undefeated teams have bit the dust, leaving us with just three: LSU, Oklahoma State and the unexpected powerhouse Houston Cougars.

Our fifth BCS rankings will reveal quite a bit about what we can expect the rest of the season, but of course, the play of the teams will dictate far more than anything else.

Don’t expect much change at the top. LSU and Oklahoma State continue to be in the BCS drivers seat — win out and both will be at the top come season’s end, and in the title game.

Alabama, who stuck ahead of Stanford last week, will once again probably stick at No. 3, ahead of the latest Pac-12 team to spring to the top of the pile, Oregon.

The Ducks are sure to get another big boost after its victory over Stanford, all the way up to No. 4. Boosts from both the human elements and another bump from the computers for beating a strong Stanford team will likely leap them past Oklahoma and keep them ahead of Arkansas. The Ducks could even challenge Alabama for the No. 3 spot, but for now, we’re projecting they fall just short.

Could the Ducks sneak by Alabama with a victory over USC next week? Possibly, but again, it remains to be seen.

Oklahoma will be right back in the thick of things at No. 5, awaiting its chance to play Oklahoma State on its last weekend of the season.

Losses by any of these teams would once again throw a wrench into any expectations of the season to come. Will we see an Alabama-LSU rematch? An Oregon-LSU rematch? Neither? The fact that we can’t possibly know means we’re upon best part of the college football season.

This is the remainder of the season waiting for us. With unexpected things happening nearly every weekend, its hard to project just how important each weekend might be. But that’s the reward for being college football fans.

Remember, we’ll be here to take you through all of it, starting with tomorrow’s releases of the human polls, computer rankings and BCS. Follow along all day tomorrow @BCSKnowHow and right here to stay up to the second with projections, mathematical breakdowns of all of the computers, human polls and everything in between. Then follow along this week as we break down scenarios and implications.

Got all that? Hope so.

Here’s what the BCS standing will likely look like when they are released tomorrow at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN:

Projected BCS Standings – BCS Week Five (November 13th)

LSU’s victory over Alabama makes them a far more clear No. 1 in the Harris Interactive College Football poll, although the Tigers did not receive unanimous support as they did in the Coaches’.

Oklahoma State takes the No. 2 position in the Harris after being No. 3 in the Coaches, switching positions with Stanford. Alabama falls just to No. 4 after the loss to the Tigers.

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Harris Interactive College Football Poll – November 6

We got the game we’ve been waiting for all season, but did we get the clarity we thought we’d find?

LSU escaped Saturday night with a 9-6 win over Alabama in what many were calling the “Game of the Century,” but for those looking to see a definitive end to the speculation about what could happen at the end of the season, we just didn’t get it.

LSU will appear at the top of tomorrow’s BCS standings as it has in the previous three weeks, that’s for certain. But how far down will Alabama fall? The reality is, not far. And yes, we’re on our way to another year of BCS controversy and debate. The possibility remains strong for a rematch of Saturday night’s thriller in the BCS title game. But, of course a few things have to go a certain way for that to enter the conversation, but its becoming more and more real.

In the meantime, the teams that will stand in between LSU at No. 1 and Alabama will have plenty to say about what happens next.

Oklahoma State will see the results of a thrilling victory Saturday night over Kansas State and its hard work so far this season and will find themselves sitting pretty at No. 2. The Cowboys’ computer scores tomorrow will absolutely secure them the second spot. Stanford is likely to remain right behind the Cowboys on the strength of huge support from the Harris and Coaches’ polls, likely in that No. 3 spot.

Boise State, who was behind the Cowboys and the Cardinal in last week’s standings might be disappointed with the results come Sunday night. Don’t be surprised if the Tide land right ahead of the Broncos at No. 4, leaving Boise State stagnant at No. 5 even though they won convincingly Saturday against UNLV.

Is that fair? It’s hard to make an unbiased argument either way, but the BCS will likely act as such tomorrow.

Oklahoma and Arkansas are sure to finish right behind the top five, with the Razorbacks grinning after an impressive victory over South Carolina, which is sure to boost their already strong support in both the computers and human polls. The Sooners and Razorbacks will be bunched together quite tightly come tomorrow.

Further down the standings, you’ll find one-loss teams like Oregon, Clemson and Virginia Tech trying to hold off surprising Houston, who will in all likelihood make its first-ever appearance in the BCS top 12.

Thus starts the final stretch of the BCS season. We’re headed for debate, punditry and likely outcry from somebody. How will it all shake out in these next four weekends? We’re about to find out.

Remember, we’ll be here to take you through all of it, starting with tomorrow’s releases of the human polls, computer rankings and BCS. Follow along all day tomorrow @BCSKnowHow and right here to stay up to the second with projections, mathematical breakdowns of all of the computers, human polls and everything in between. Then follow along this week as we break down scenarios and implications.

Got all that? Hope so.

Here’s what the BCS standing will likely look like when they are released tomorrow at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN:

Projected BCS Standings – BCS Week Four (November 6th)

Down the stretch of the BCS season, a team’s opponents become an important component of a team’s overall resume to watch.

Not only does it help to define the relative strength of said team, but also has a large effect on that team’s BCS computer performance.

With that in mind, we’ve compiled a look at the BCS’s top teams and their important games — both already played and upcoming — to get a better perspective on which teams’ performances will have implications on the BCS.

Each week we’ll give the rundown for the number of teams that seem to be within striking distance of the top two spots. The third BCS rankings reveal a  “striking distance” that includes a one-loss Oklahoma, suddenly right back in the thick of the BCS race, and with a chance to beat No. 3 Oklahoma St. at season’s end.

Each team is listed with their current BCS rank, record and strength of schedule (according to Jeff Sagarin’s ratings).

Below each BCS contender are their most important opponents, both which they have already played (with those results) and those upcoming.

Their opponents will also be listed with a record and their current Sagarin or BCS ranking depending on which is available. Teams will be listed in order of importance to that team’s BCS performance. Each opponent is also listed with an SOS to give you a better sense of how they might perform in the coming weeks. Games this weekend are bolded.

Oh yeah, and one of them happens to be a game you might have heard was going on this weekend.

BCS No. 1 LSU Tigers (8-0) SOS: 18

Important Games Already Played

• BCS No. 8 Oregon (7-1) SOS: 45 — Won 40-27
• BCS No. 22 Auburn (6-3) SOS: 12 — Won 45-10
• BCS No. 24 West Virginia (6-2) SOS: 74 — Won 47-21
• Sagarin No. 33 Florida (4-4) SOS: 17 — Won 41-11
• Sagarin No. 47 Tennessee (3-5) SOS: 3 — Won 38-7

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Important Games Remaining

• BCS No. 2 Alabama (8-0) SOS: 39 — Nov. 5
• BCS No. 7 Arkansas (7-1) SOS: 71 — Nov. 25
• SEC Championship Game (Potential)

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BCS No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) SOS: 39

Important Games Already Played

• BCS No. 7 Arkansas (7-1) SOS: 71 — Won 38-14
• BCS No. 16 Penn State (8-1) SOS: 64 — Won 27-11
• Sagarin No. 33 Florida (4-4) SOS: 17 — Won 38-10
• Sagarin No. 47 Tennessee (3-5) SOS: 3 — Won 37-6

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Important Games Remaining

• BCS No. 1 LSU (8-0) SOS: 18 — Nov. 5
• BCS No. 22 Auburn (6-3) SOS: 12 — Nov. 26
• SEC Championship Game (Potential)

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BCS No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-0) SOS: 6

Important Games Already Played

• Sagarin No. 14 Texas A&M (5-3) SOS: 5 — Won 30-29
• Sagarin No. 16 Missouri (4-4) SOS: 1 — Won 45-24
• Sagarin No. 20 Tulsa (5-3) SOS: 34 — Won 59-33
• Sagarin No. 22 Baylor (4-3) SOS: 8 — Won 59-24
• BCS No. 21 Texas (5-2) SOS: 14 — Won 38-26

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Important Games Remaining

• BCS No. 14 Kansas State (7-1) SOS: 20 — Nov. 5
• BCS No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (7-1) SOS: 9 — Dec. 3
• Sagarin No. 28 Texas Tech (5-3) SOS: 36 — Nov. 12
• Sagarin No. 31 Iowa State (4-4) SOS: 7 — Nov. 18

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BCS No. 4 Stanford Cardinal (8-0) SOS: 53

Important Games Already Played

• Sagarin No. 23 USC (6-2) SOS: 26 — Won 56-48
• Sagarin No. 26 Washington (6-2) SOS: 42 — Won 65-21

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Important Games Remaining

• BCS No. 8 Oregon (7-1) SOS: 45 — Nov. 12
• Sagarin No. 41 Notre Dame (5-3) SOS: 22 — Nov. 26
• Pac-12 Championship Game (Potential)

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BCS No. 5 Boise State Broncos (7-0) SOS: 31

Important Games Already Played

• BCS No. 18 Georgia (6-2) SOS: 15 — Won 35-21
• Sagarin No. 20 Tulsa (5-3) SOS: 34 — Won 41-21
• Sagarin No. 44 Nevada (5-3) SOS: 72 — Won 30-10

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Important Games Remaining

• Sagarin No. 39 TCU (6-2) SOS: 88 — Nov. 12

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BCS No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (7-1) SOS: 9

Important Games Already Played

• BCS No. 21 Texas (5-2) SOS: 14 — Won 55-17
• Sagarin No. 16 Missouri (4-4) SOS: 1 — Won 38-28
• Sagarin No. 28 Texas Tech (5-3) SOS: 36 — Lost 41-38

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Important Games Remaining

• BCS No. 3 Oklahoma State (8-0) SOS: 8 — Dec. 3
• BCS No. 14 Kansas State (7-1) SOS: 20 — Oct. 29
• Sagarin No. 14 Texas A&M (5-3) SOS: 5 — Nov. 5
• Sagarin No. 22 Baylor (4-3) SOS: 8 — Nov. 19
• Sagarin No. 31 Iowa State (4-4) SOS: 7 — Nov. 26

Remember a few weeks ago when we thought we’d have undefeated teams to spare come November?

Well for two straight weeks now, we’ve had two high-profile undefeated teams drop out of the ranks of the spotless, and just in time to ready the nation for the game to end all games, next week’s forever anticipated Alabama-LSU.

The biggest statement of the week might have come from one of the teams to have dropped off that list last week, Oklahoma, but for now the Sooners are still on the outside looking in at the BCS picture.

Beside the dynamic duo of the Tigers and Crimson Tide, however, there remain a few others still in the elite group. Oklahoma State had little trouble verifying its No. 3 BCS ranking from last week, dispensing with Baylor, and Stanford survived a test at USC.

Who’s going to be most rewarded tomorrow? Don’t be surprised if it’s Stanford.

USC, although unranked by the human elements because of its NCAA sanctions, was ranked highly by the computers, the factor the Cardinal had a severe lacking in coming into the weekend. The Trojans were in the top-15 in the computer rankings and that kind of strong victory can do wonders.

The Cardinal will likely jump past Boise State this week, but will still trail the LSU-Alabama-Oklahoma State trio we saw last week at the top of the polls.

The Broncos will be hard pressed to stay ahead of the Cardinal, but with plenty of intrigue to come, anything can happen in the always-crazy BCS.

Plenty of scenarios surround the Alabama-LSU showdown next weekend, but for now, we’ll leave those discussions for the next few days, and just leave you to ponder the BCS rankings due tomorrow.

It might be a confusing few weeks, but we’ll be here to take you through all of it, starting with tomorrow’s releases of the human polls, computer rankings and BCS. Follow along all day tomorrow @BCSKnowHow and right here to stay up to the second with projections, mathematical breakdowns of all of the computers, human polls and everything in between.

Got all that? Hope so.

Here’s what the BCS standing will likely look like when they are released tomorrow at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN:

Projected BCS Standings – BCS Week Three (October 30)